


Something Always Happening

by severity_softly



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, Canon Public Humiliation, Gen, References To Canon Past Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:41:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5698768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/severity_softly/pseuds/severity_softly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek finds Spencer tied to a goalpost. (High school AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Always Happening

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published September 2008. High school AU--Spencer went to high school with Derek. Written for the morganreid_cm September School Challenge 2008. Thanks so much to innerslytherin for the beta!

Derek hadn't been there when it happened, but he knew something was happening to Spencer Reid anyway. The kid was a brat, for sure, and maybe he did need to be knocked down a peg. But Spencer usually didn't deserve what he got. And Derek knew about not deserving what you got. Between Carl, who made him feel filthy, and Rodney, who beat Derek bloody a few times before Derek hit his growth spurt, Derek knew, and he felt sorry for Spencer, regardless of what an annoying know-it-all the kid could be.

Something was _always_ happening to Spencer Reid. Derek had heard about the Alexa Lisbon ruse too late to warn the kid. And why he was tempted to warn the kid, he had no idea--he didn't actually _like_ Spencer--except that it was one thing to call Spencer 'four-eyes' and steal his glasses, and another thing entirely to get the kid's hopes up that the prettiest girl in school wanted to meet him, and then dash those hopes. Insulting his intelligence was just plain jealous stupidity, but wounding Spencer's pride could haunt him for the rest of his life. Derek knew about that too.

It was after football practice that Derek started his walk home, and he'd forgotten about little Spencer since he'd been told about the prank before the team's scrimmage that afternoon. It was so late that he doubted Alexa would even stick around anyway, but when he passed the field on his way out and heard the jeering, he knew what it was about.

_Don't stop. Don't go look. Just walk away, Derek._

But he couldn't walk away, and when he got to the field, he pushed through the crowd. His stomach dropped out when he saw Spencer. _They stripped him naked?!_ Naked, exposed, bared in front of people whose intent was to hurt him. Derek _knew_ the feeling. He looked away from the sight, and then a flash of raw anger went through him. "Hey! Move!" he said, pushing his way through the rest of the crowd.

A hand caught his arm, and Derek turned to face Rodney. "What the fuck, Derek? You got a crush on the kid?"

"Back off, man," Derek warned, but Rodney's hand tightened. "Back _off!_ " Derek shoved hard, and Rodney went stumbling back.

Derek moved to Spencer, who was shivering and crying silently. The kid couldn't even look at Derek, and when Rodney came again, Derek turned and planted his fist against the other boy's jaw. "Get the fuck away from me!" he growled, and started pulling away the bindings that held Spencer to the goal post.

Spencer covered himself as soon as he could. Derek reached out and pulled Spencer against him, shielding him. _Don't run away_ , he thought hard at Spencer. _Don't let 'em see you run_.

He turned and glared at the crowd. "Move along," he hissed, and when they didn't move, he raised his voice, "I said _go_!"

It took a while for it to seem to sink in, but the crowd dispersed slowly, and even Rodney left, giving Derek a look that Derek knew meant trouble later. He didn't care.

"Let me go," Spencer mumbled, even as his face stayed pressed against Derek's chest. "Please."

Derek realized how tightly he was holding the naked boy, and suddenly felt sick. "Don't run. I'm not gonna hurt you," he said, and let go. Spencer cupped himself in his hands again and looked around, his eyes darting anywhere but at Derek.

"Where are your clothes, kid?"

"I-- I don't know," Spencer whispered, and it prompted a fresh wave of tears that just rolled down Spencer's cheeks as he refused to move his hands to wipe them.

"Hang on. Hang on a second," Derek mumbled and pulled off his jersey, leaving him in just a tank top. "Here."

Spencer took it, balled it up in his hands, and held it over himself. Derek laughed in spite of himself, and Spencer finally looked at him, but he was frowning. Derek's laughter died immediately at the look on Spencer's face, his eyes red-rimmed, his cheeks shining, and his feelings obviously hurt.

"No. Put it on," Derek said, gentling his voice.

Spencer opened his mouth, then closed it again and stared at Derek for a moment. He sniffed loudly. "Turn around."

Derek did.

"Okay," Spencer said after a moment, and when Derek turned around again he saw Spencer wiping his eyes furiously. 

Derek's jersey was hanging down to Spencer's knees. Good. "Let's find your clothes."

"I think they took them."

Derek turned to frown at Spencer, but then went off to look around the field anyway. Spencer stayed where he was, as if frozen in place, and kept looking around as if he expected a second attack.

Derek didn't find Spencer's clothes, and he eventually walked back over to the kid and shrugged. "You can bring that back to me tomorrow," he said, gesturing at his jersey. "You walking?"

Spencer curled his fingers in the bottom of the jersey and nodded.

Derek touched Spencer's shoulders and gave him a nudge as he started walking. "I'll take you home."

 

*****

 

The following day, Rodney came for Derek during lunch. And it wasn't just Rodney, but Rodney and all of Rodney's friends. Derek wound up in the nurse's office after a teacher broke up the fight, with a split lip, a black eye, and swollen knee that he refused to limp on even as the pain wrenched through his entire body.

The beating hadn't been a surprise, but when Spencer knocked on the door to the nurse's office and asked to see him, Derek couldn't help but roll his eyes. It was nice, though. Genius-boy was a good kid.

"Hi," Spencer said quietly, then intercepted the bottle of Tylenol that the nurse tried to hand to Derek. "Do you have any Aspirin or Ibuprofin? Tylenol will help with the pain, but it won't do anything for imflamation." He was blinking at the nurse earnestly, and she was just staring at him.

Derek took the bottle out of Spencer's hands. "Just give me the pills, Spencer."

Spencer looked at him, seeming surprised for a moment. And then he smiled, and Derek wasn't sure he'd ever seen Spencer Reid _smile_ before. "You called me by my real name," he said, sounding amazed.

"Huh?"

"You didn't call me... 'freak' or 'dickless' or..." Spencer trailed off, pink creeping into his cheeks.

Jesus, the kid was _ten_ , Derek thought suddenly. "I wouldn't call you that," he said. He _had_ called Spencer names before, though, but never to Spencer's face, and Derek resolved now not to call Spencer names ever again.

Spencer nodded. "Thanks," he murmured, still looking embarrassed. He snatched the ice out of the nurse's hands when she came back, though, and pressed it to Derek's eye with enough enthusiasm to hurt. 

Derek groaned, but played it off. "Thanks, Spence."

"You're welcome," Spencer said, and he was smiling again.

"You don't have to be here, you know. You can go back to class."

"I've already read the course book three times."

Derek looked at Spencer in disbelief. "Don't you do anything fun?"

Spencer blinked at him, his shoulders dropping a little, and he shrugged. Derek stared at him, and then shook his head and let the room fall silent for a while. He hissed when Spencer moved the ice over a cut on his lip. Spencer didn't seem to notice though, and after a while, Derek closed his eyes.

"Hey, Derek?" Spencer whispered after a while. Derek opened his eyes and looked at him. "You're hurt."

"A little."

"It's because of me, isn't it?"

"Nah, it's--"

"Yes it is."

Derek frowned, but didn't argue anymore. Spencer moved the ice thoughtlessly again, but Derek was ready for it this time, and didn't even flinch.

"Hey, Derek?"

"What now, Spencer?"

Spencer hesitated, then bit his lip, looking worried about what he was about to say. Then he forced the words out in one long breath. "Doyouneedsomeonetowalkyouhome?"

Derek looked at Spencer again, and he couldn't stop the slow smile that formed on his lips. After a moment, he laughed softly. "Yeah. Sure, kid. Why not?"


End file.
